Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The status of this blog

I am always amazed that people read this blog, given the billion or so alternatives out there. Many thanks to those of you who wrote (or complained) about my failing, of late, to post my thoughts, both light and dark.

I've been out of the country for some time (Far East) and arrived back just in time for the holiday season.

I don't know the future status of this blog, given my (growing) family and work responsibilities. I hope to post more after the holidays, primarily on the subjects of books, culture, and the library world. However, I have very little interest or time to devote to the politics of the ALA. I tried to keep up with the twists and turns of ALA politics, but this is simply a swamp in which I cannot bring myself to swim, given my other concerns, which include a new child, two other on-line writing commitments, and my day job.

If you are interested in all things ALA, I suggest some of the site-links on the side. My only interest in the ALA is their relationship to the censorship, anti-censorship, and the culture wars in general. I cannot get excited about which set of crooks is elected to run our country, so I'm not likely to care which hard-politicos of the left run ALA.

This blog was always a grab bag of my roles as librarian, conservative Catholic, and supporter of Israel. Assuming I can continue this blog, I'm only going to concentrate on books and culture, with less emphasis on library politics, Israel, and Catholicism. So, depending on what you came here for, here are a few suggestions of other places to visit on the net:

If you want library politics, please see SHUSH, which has reinvented itself as The Notebook. Also note his many useful links. These should keep any library junky very busy.

If you're here because you're a fellow Catholic (or interested in things Catholic), please check out The Bone Chapel or Against The Grain. "The Bone Chapel" is new, but covers all things Catholic, as well as the world of high culture (literature, poetry, classical music, and art) from a Catholic perspective. "Against the Grain" covers Pope Benedict XVI and the Catholic Church. "The Bone Chapel" seems to be more traditionalist than "Against the Grain."

For the culture wars, including the wars against Jihad and illegal immigration, I give the highest marks to Andrew Cusack and Cella's Review. Mr. Cusack is only 22 years old. That he writes so well at such a young age is only mildly irritating to we less-talented folk in the mire of middle age. Mr. Cella is likewise a gifted wordsmith. He writes one of the five best blogs on the subjects of jihad and also the culture wars, in my humble opinion. No small feat in net of over one billion blogs.

One more can't-miss blog: David Pryce-Jones. This blog has linked to Pryce-Jones many times. His subject is not so much Jihad as our submission to Jihad. He also writes extremely well on a variety of subjects related to Western Civilization and culture. He was writing about Arabs and Islam long before it was fashionable outside of Mid East Study circles. I'm told he wrote a wonderful biography of Unity Mitford, but I cannot find a copy. Still, there are some things of his in print, plus he writes better on his blog than most do in their books.

I shall make an attempt to carve out space in my schedule to post here more regularly after the holidays. If successful, I can continue corrigenda in 2007. If not, we shall all have to move on. For you that will be easy; simply book mark the above links.

4 Comments:

This is excellent cataloguing, indeed. Also called blog ledger: Bloggers Compose Their Yearly Ledgers, By Jeralyn

Happy holidays.This is not spam comment. I wish to share something with you as a librarian who believes in sharing knowledge 24 X 7. My 2007 resolution is a friendly deal to get more comments at my blog and promptly reciprocate.Best wishes for 2007.

Hello Paul. I've never commented on a blog before, but I'm seeking conservative Catholic librarian advice! I am the same--having worked in other libraries, I am 2 months into work at a Catholic school library, grades K-8. It seems obvious to pull Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy from the shelf, but what about Harry Potter? Is there a good list of anti-Catholic children's literature, or at least a warning list? Shouldn't the Catholic Library Association do this? I scanned their blog, but they seem more concerned with censorship than supporting the Church. I'm trying to sort through this with prayer and faith, and I am seeking inspired guidance. What is your take on this?